A hanging made from Meghan Shimek’s Weaving Kit. The beginner weaving kit includes a handmade 18- by 11½-inch wood loom with rotating heddle and legs, along with wool roving, tapestry needle, hanging dowel, illustrated instructions and an assortment of locally sourced and naturally dyed yarn provided by Knitterly in Petaluma. less

A hanging made from Meghan Shimek’s Weaving Kit. The beginner weaving kit includes a handmade 18- by 11½-inch wood loom with rotating heddle and legs, along with wool roving, tapestry needle, hanging dowel, ... more

Photo: Erin Conger

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Oakland wood and cork artist Melanie Abrantes’ spoon carving kit.

Oakland wood and cork artist Melanie Abrantes’ spoon carving kit.

Photo: Melanie Abrantes

Summer DIY kits and crafts

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It’s summertime, and the crafting is easy thanks to a crop of thoughtfully, well-designed kits. Made by local artists (who know their stuff) they also do a beautiful job of capturing of-the-moment trends, from the cool Japanese tie-dyeing technique shibori to the welcome revivals of weaving texture-rich wall hangings and carving wooden spoons.

Indigo Blue Textile Kit

Leave it to San Francisco artist and printmaker extraordinaire Christine Schmidt to fashion a virtually mess-proof fabric-dyeing kit.

The Yellow Owl Workshop owner, famed for her whimsically cool stamp line and winning greeting cards, debuted the all-in-one Indigo Blue Textile Kit since dark and moody indigo hues and shibori dye prints have been trending among home decor and runway circles.

“I love traditional indigo dyeing but it is massively messy,” says Schmidt, who set out to simplify the process so that anyone could easily partake in dyeing on a whim.

She partnered with a local chemist to develop a highly concentrated indigo blue ink in applicator form. “It took us almost a year but it was worth it,” she says. “Selfishly, I just make products that I want to use so this is geared for easy cleanup and maximum creative possibilities.”

The kit includes the permanent indigo blue textile ink in dripless applicator, white cotton scarf and protective gloves. An illustrated instruction booklet details how to achieve tie-dye, shibori dye, vat dye and resist dye techniques, as well as painting and stamping techniques.

“Customers are having a blast with it,” says Schmidt, who encourages customers to Instagram and share their results with the hashtag #easyindigokit. “I’ve seen teepees, clothes, bed linens, curtains, pillow covers and napkins that just astound me.”

Oakland wood and cork artist Melanie Abrantes (melanieabrantes.com) was teaching the utilitarian sport of wood spoon carving around the Bay Area when, thanks to Instagram, requests to come teach a class started popping up from across the country. Unable to travel at the time, she offered an alternative to purchase the tools and blanks as a kit.

The kit includes the tools to design, carve and hollow out the bowl of a spoon, as well as a spoon blank of choice (poplar, cherry, walnut or mahogany), 15mm Japanese spoon gouge, Mikikicha carving knife and illustrated instructions. Kits also include a bit of wood butter for conditioning and polishing completed designs. (She plans to expand the variety of carving options available for making goods such as coffee spoons and serving spoons, as well as other spoon shapes.)

“Essentially I wanted the kit to provide you with everything you would need to make your spoon successfully and without any major hiccups,” she says. “I chose Japanese tools because they are made with high-quality steel and are very well manufactured; they are very intuitive to use, making it easier for a first-time carver.”

Or, learn in person. Her next workshop is 1-4 p.m. July 25. The carving class, $130, includes a tour of her Oakland studio and a lathing demo. Register on her site.

When it comes to the ever-growing weaving trend, Meghan Shimek is helping set the pace. The Larkspur weaver and fiber phenom is sought after for her abstract take on textural wall hangings, a distinct mashup of traditional tapestry and Navajo weaving techniques.

So when she began teaching weaving classes last year, she wanted to give her students every opportunity to be equally successful. Partnering with pal and carpenter Joe Snider, the pair designed and hand-makes a more user-friendly loom based on European and Asian models.

“Often new weavers are discouraged when they begin a project and after hours of work they have only woven a couple inches,” she says. “The design on this loom allows for quick warping and quick weaving.”

The beginner weaving kit includes a handmade 18-by-11½-inch heirloom-quality wood loom with rotating heddle and legs, along with wool roving, tapestry needle, hanging dowel, illustrated instructions and an assortment of locally sourced and naturally dyed yarn provided by Knitterly in Petaluma.